Video games and other applications that provide a virtual environment are increasingly using online shops that enable users to purchase content for use in the virtual environment. For example, some online shops allow users to purchase virtual items for use in a game. However, conventional shops may impose high transaction costs related to administering third party developers and processing payments. Conventional online shops are also inconvenient for the user because they are presented before or after a gameplay session, thus preventing the user from purchasing items during gameplay.
If presented during gameplay, the online shop would occupy at least a portion of a game display with which the user interacts to play the game. Occupying portions of the game display presents a number of concerns. In a multi-user environment, presenting the online shop in the game display may expose to other users real or virtual account information (e.g., real credit card numbers) used to complete the content purchase transaction. Furthermore, a user may not want another user to know purchase information such as identification, price paid, quantity, etc., related to the items being purchased. Whether multi-user or not, presenting the online shop in the game display may also obscure portions of the game space, leading to an unsatisfactory experience for the user.